


What Lies Beneath

by daylightlucidity



Series: Destinies Fulfilled [2]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Gen, TTS Gen Week 2021 (Disney)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-19 09:40:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29748570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daylightlucidity/pseuds/daylightlucidity
Summary: A friendship tears at the seams, and Demanitus wonders how well he knows his research partner.
Relationships: Lord Demanitus & Zhan Tiri
Series: Destinies Fulfilled [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2186466
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	What Lies Beneath

**Author's Note:**

> My (several days late) contribution to TTS gen week: a prequel to Destinies Fulfilled, featuring Zhan Tiri and Demanitus. If you haven't read it, no worries; this could be *kind of* a canon compliant one shot if you squint.
> 
> Day 4 prompt: Exploration / Trust / Flower

Demanitus sat at the cluttered desk of his laboratory, contemplating. He was unable to focus on the work before him, distracted by the sense of unease that had settled in the pit of his stomach like an iron weight.

The source of his unease sat hunched over her own desk nearby, a collection of maps and books scattered about as she charted the course for their upcoming journey to the Dark Kingdom. Zhan Tiri — his research partner, his confidante, his _friend_ — was engrossed in her work, failing to notice the grave manner in which Demanitus was regarding her.

Up until recently, Demanitus believed that he had known his dear friend well. But now? He was unsure.

Demanitus did not know when he began to doubt the intentions of his research partner. In hindsight, the doubt had always been there to some degree, lingering just beneath the surface.

It was not like Demanitus did not know what she was. After all, Zhan Tiri’s reputation preceded her. A Saporian sorceress powerful beyond measure, far more talented and knowledgeable than any spellcaster Demanitus had encountered before. It was why he had sought out her help in the first place, all those years ago.

Zhan Tiri was the only one who rivaled his knowledge on the legends of the Sundrop and Moonstone, the only person who had _ever_ matched him in wit and intellect. With their common goal of seeking out the celestial drops of light and their complementary areas of expertise, the mystics arts and the sciences, it had only made sense to forge a research partnership.

Together, the two of them made a formidable team, and their collaboration had carried them farther on their quest than if they had worked individually.

Zhan Tiri was brilliant. Bold. Dedicated. Charismatic. Clever. All traits that made her an indispensable research partner throughout the years.

But she was also ruthless, petty, manipulative, selfish, and above all, _ambitious_. All of her actions were driven by an insatiable hunger to have more, do more, _be_ more. This much, Demanitus knew, and to some extent, understood. No one made it as far as the two of them had without some innate desire to accomplish and to achieve.

The hungry nature of Zhan Tiri’s ambition sometimes unsettled Demanitus, but for the longest time, he had overlooked it. After all, he would not have made it this far without her intuition and expertise. Ultimately what mattered was that they were working toward the same end goal, and that they were driven by the same curiosity and desire for knowledge.

That was what this quest for the Sundrop and Moonstone was about; knowledge. There was no higher calling than the pursuit of fundamental truths about the universe, no higher achievement than invention and innovation. Demanitus wished to understand the machinations of the world in the hopes he could improve upon it.

He thought that Zhan Tiri had shared his ideals, that she was similarly driven by a desire to learn all she could about the world. At least, that was before he realized that the true nature of her ambition was not rooted in the noble pursuit of knowledge, but rather in the selfish desire for power.

This fact became evident when they had recently learned of the Moonstone’s true nature. They had met with a woman who hailed from the mysterious Dark Kingdom located across the continent, a defector from an organization called the Brotherhood, who shared a firsthand account of the death and destruction she had witnessed from the opal. She spared no detail about the opal’s dark and gruesome history, nor of the evil and corrupting nature of its power. Many had perished both in the pursuit to claim its power, and in the pursuit to remove this evil from the world once and for all. 

To Demanitus, the harrowing tales were disturbing. To Zhan Tiri? Not so much.

Morbid fascination was painted across her expression as they listened to the stories of the opal and its unparalleled destructive abilities. Where Demanitus was horrified, Zhan Tiri was _excited_ by the power the opal held. The disturbing information only seemed to fuel Zhan Tiri’s resolved to find the Moonstone. The look in her eyes when she spoke of its power was covetous. _Hungry._

Demanitus was put on edge by the feral glee he had seen in her eyes. In that moment and in the conversations that followed, it became clear that Zhan Tiri was not driven by a desire for knowledge like Demanitus had thought. No, Zhan Tiri’s ambition was born of a need for power, an all-consuming hunger that overshadowed her curiosity, her ideals, and her sense of morality.

Looking back, he was not sure how he didn’t realize it sooner. The warning signs were always there; he just hadn’t wanted to see it.

He stared at his research partner, taking note of the lavender hair that spilled down her back in long waves, the piercing violet color of her eyes that studied the map before her, and the ghastly pallor of her skin that looked almost sickly in the dim laboratory lighting. These features alone were enough to mark Zhan Tiri as a particularly powerful sorceress. Magic had a way of twisting one’s appearance, and as a consequence, unnatural colorings were not unheard of among the most powerful of Saporian spellcasters.

But there were other markers, other signs, that suggested Zhan Tiri possessed power of a darker and more sinister nature.

Demanitus was not in the habit of acquainting himself with sorcerers, but even he could recognize that there was something not quite right about his friend’s particular brand of magic. He could see it in the unconventional style of her casting, the unsettling way it mirrored the wild and uncontrolled magic of the strange tree she called home. It was obvious in the collection of dark artifacts and taboo texts she treasured, yet refused to breathe a word of to anyone but him and their pupils. The most damning evidence, however, was her shadow. Instead of taking the shape of her silhouette, it was a horned monstrosity, a sight that had always put Demanitus on edge.

All of this evidence suggested that Zhan Tiri had crossed lines no one meant to cross, tied herself to forces that no one was ever meant to interact with, all in the name of gaining power for herself.

Ambition had always been her besetting sin. Demanitus just never realized that her hunger had no bounds.

He had ignored her worst tendencies for a long time, but now he could no longer. Not when she was determined to seek out a dark and destructive power for her own gain. Not when she was intelligent and relentless enough to follow through on actually _claiming_ that power.

The thought of what Zhan Tiri could do with the moonstone’s power frightened him. No good could ever come of a tool that was capable of nothing but decay and destruction. No one with less than the purest of intentions and noblest of ideals could ever be allowed anywhere _near_ that kind of power.

Which left Demanitus with a dilemma. He could not allow Zhan Tiri to get her hands on the Moonstone. But she would not rest until that power was hers.

Zhan Tiri had always been relentless, plowing through every obstacle in her way without mercy or hesitation. Nothing short of the most drastic measures would ever be able to stop her from getting what she wants. Demanitus knew, gravely, that the only person who could ever stand between Zhan Tiri and the Moonstone was himself. There was no one else capable of it, no one else who knew her vulnerabilities.

But the question remained; was he certain beyond reasonable doubt that Zhan Tiri _needed_ to be stopped?

On that matter, Demanitus was not yet decided. He did not want to betray his friend, not unless he had no other option.

Seeming to sense the storm clouds in his mind, Zhan Tiri looked up from her work to stare at Demanitus. Violet eyes met his gaze as her mouth twisted into a concerned frown.

“Is something the matter?”

One more try. He would give his old friend one last chance to alleviate his doubts.

Demanitus steeled his resolve. “I still do not believe that pursuing the Moonstone is the correct course of action.”

Annoyance flickered across Zhan Tiri’s face. “My dear, are we really having this conversation again?”

“Yes we are,” Demanitus sighed. “And we will continue to have this conversation until we reach an agreement on what to do with the opal.”

“And as we have discussed, _extensively_ , we will postpone this conversation until _after_ we have made it to the Dark Kingdom. There is no reason to decide what to do with the Moonstone until more information has presented itself. _That_ was the compromise, in case you have already forgotten,” Zhan Tiri said wryly.

Demanitus grit his teeth. “We have already learned valuable information about the opal, and I am afraid that with every new piece of information we learn, its nature only looks darker and more sinister.”

“So you would abandon this quest before it properly begins, all because one person warned of its destructive capabilities?” Zhan Tiri asked in disbelief. “A biased account, mind you.”

“I do not intend to abandon this quest for knowledge,” Demanitus said, resolute. “However, I am hesitant about the _use_ of such an evil and destructive power. You have made it clear that you do not share that concern. Why is that?”

Zhan Tiri rolled her eyes. “Because unlike what you Coronans like to believe, no magic is inherently ‘good’ or ‘evil’,” she explained, emphasizing with air quotes. “Magic is a force of nature; it is not subject to the human concept of morality. You would not call a thunderstorm _evil_ because of the destruction it brings.”

“You heard the same tales of death and destruction as I. Tell me, what good could ever come of using a tool that is capable of nothing but decay and corruption?”

“And what _good_ is this conversation if you are not willing to listen to a word that I say?” Zhan Tiri spat in irritation. “Just because the Moonstone is capable of destruction does not mean that it is its only capability. Even if it is, it does not change the fact that there is value in understanding the nature of its power.”

“I do not disagree that there is value in understanding, but there is a difference between wanting to _learn_ about its power and wanting to _use_ its power for your own gain.”

Zhan Tiri scoffed. “I see no reason why the two must be mutually exclusive.”

A nerve pulsed in Demanitus’s jaw. “You would still take that power for yourself, even if it went against what is right?”

“Oh, because _you_ are such an excellent judge on what is right and what is wrong,” Zhan Tiri sneered. “I started this quest with the intention of finding the Sundrop and the Moonstone and learning from their power —”

“— and _controlling_ their power —”

“— and I will not rest until I have done so. There is _still_ so much that I do not know. My whole life has been about the pursuit and mastery of magic. I have not come this far to stop now because _you_ are afraid of something that you do not understand.”

Demanitus stared at her gravely. “Your ambition will be your downfall.”

Zhan Tiri glowered at him. “And arrogance will be yours.”

Tense silence settled over them. Demanitus studied the way Zhan Tiri’s eyes narrowed in defiance. No, she would not break from her selfish beliefs. There was too much ambition there, too much hunger reflected in those violet eyes.

This discussion was futile.

“Very well,” Demanitus said curtly. “We will postpone this discussion, per our compromise.”

The tension fell away from Zhan Tiri’s shoulders. “That is all I ask.” The flame of her indignation had been snuffed out, leaving something akin to uncertainty on her face. “You know that whatever we decide, it will be a mutual decision, right? I would not do anything with the opal without discussing it with you first, if that is what you are concerned about. I will honor our compromise. You have my word.”

Demanitus wished that he believed her. “I know.”

Zhan Tiri smiled softly, fondness and trust plainly written in her expression. Guilt twisted in the pit of Demanitus’s stomach. “Well then, if we’re quite finished with our little chat, you will be pleased to know I am almost finished with this.” She beckoned him over. “Come, have a look.”

Nodding mutely Demanitus walked over, only half-listening as Zhan Tiri prattled on about the maps and notes in front of her. His thoughts were miles away, beginning to plan a course of action.

Demanitus had made up his mind. Zhan Tiri could not be allowed to get her hands on the Moonstone. She had to be stopped, before she ever had the opportunity to get close to its power.

Banishing the doubt from his mind, Demanitus reminded himself that he had a duty to do what was right.

No matter how much it pained him.


End file.
